29 of the most iconic Oscar dresses of all time

February 21, 2019

The 91st annual Academy Awards are taking place this weekend on Sunday 24 February – and while we’re very excited for this year’s winners to be unveiled, we’re even more excited about the show-stopping red carpet looks coming our way.

Anyone will agree that the Oscar red carpet is a huge fashion moment for our favourite stars. As the biggest night in Hollywood, it’s only right that attendees go all out, which is why we can’t wait to see what they bring.

According to recent research from Accessorize, any nominees hoping to take home the Best Actress or Supporting Actress awards should be dressed in yellow, as this is believed to be the luckiest colour for nominees across both categories, with 60 per cent of stars going on to win.

So, while we wait in anticipation for the glamorous gowns the 2019 red carpet will bring us, let’s take a look back at some of the best Oscar dresses of all time, from Grace Kelly and Cher, to Jennifer Lawrence and Lupita Nyong’o.

Audrey Hepburn, 1954

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Audrey Hepburn picked up the award for Best Actress at the 1954 Oscars in an elegant floral belted dress by Givenchy, marking her first time wearing the designer.

Grace Kelly, 1955

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Edith Head, the most celebrated Hollywood costumier in history, dressed Grace Kelly in a simple ice-blue duchess satin column dress with matching slippers for the 1995 Oscars, where Kelly was as nominated for the Best Actress award following her lead in the George Seaton-directed adaptation of The Country Girl.

Elizabeth Taylor, 1961

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Elizabeth Taylor stunned in an unforgettable Christian Dior gown at the 1961 Academy Awards, where she won Best Actress for her role in Butterfield 8.

Barbra Streisand, 1969

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Barbra Streisand made Arnold Scaasi a huge hit over night as she wore a sheer blouse and trousers by the designer while accepting her award for Best Actress for her role in Funny Girl.

Lauren Hutton, 1975

Diana Ross, 1982

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In one of the most glamorous Oscar looks in history, Diana Ross sizzled in a glittering red gown and white fur shawl at the 1982 Academy Awards. What a moment.

Meryl Streep,1983

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Meryl Streep picked up her second Oscar at the 1983 ceremony where she won Best Actress for her role in Sophie’s Choice while wearing a stunning golden kaftan-style maternity dress – she was pregnant with daughter Mamie Gummer at the time.

Anjelica Huston, 1986

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Anjelica Huston wore a beautiful satin emerald dress as she accepted her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the 1986 ceremony.

Cher, 1987

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Cher has had her fair share of iconic moments on the Oscar red carpet. In fact, we could do a separate feature on her outfits alone. However, this Bob Mackie headpiece and black jewel-encrusted look combo at the 1987 Academy Awards is one for the history books.

Cindy Crawford, 1991

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Cindy Crawford’s red Versace gown was to the 1991 Oscars what Jennifer Lopez’s gravity-defying dress was for the 2000 Grammys – an red carpet moment never to be forgotten.

Nicole Kidman, 1997

Gwyneth Paltrow, 1999

Gwyneth Paltrow wore the pink princess dress of dreams by Ralph Lauren at the 1999 Oscars, where she won the Best Actress category for her role in Shakespeare in Love.

Celine Dion, 1999

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Okay, so it’s not technically a dress, but no one has ever looked cooler on the Oscars red carpet than Celine in her John Galliano oversized trouser suit and matching white hat at the 1999 ceremony.

Julia Roberts, 2001

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In one of her best red carpet moments of all time (and trust us, there are been many great ones) Julia Roberts wowed in Valentino at the 2001 Academy Awards.

Björk, 2001

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Meanwhile, Icelandic star Björk made headlines when she turned up on the Oscar red carpet that same year in a swan dress by Marjan Pejoski. Iconic for a very different reason.

Halle Berry, 2002

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Not only did Halle Berry become the first African American woman to win the Best Actress Oscar in 2002 for her role in Monster’s Ball, but she created a historic moment on the red carpet too as she stepped out in an amazing a peek-a-boo embroidered gown by Elie Saab.

Beyonce, 2005

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Beyonce showed us all how it’s done with a simple yet unforgettable black vintage Versace gown at the 2005 Oscars.

Michelle Williams, 2006

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Michelle Williams brightened up the red carpet with a gorgeous yellow Vera Wang gown at the 2006 Oscars, where she took home the award for Best Support Actress for her role in Brokeback Mountain.

Penélope Cruz, 2007

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Penélope Cruz had all eyes on her as she stepped out on the red carpet in a fairytale blush-coloured Atelier Versace gown with a silk chiffon bodice and an iconic train of silk chiffon, organza, and tulle at the 2007 Academy Awards.

Anne Hathaway, 2009

Sandra Bullock, 2010

Sandra Bullock didn’t just win the Best Actress award for her role in The Blind Side at the 2010 Oscars, she won the red carpet too wearing a gorgeous gold Marchesa gown and Neil Lane jewellery.

Angelina Jolie, 2012

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Angelina Jolie’s right leg went viral a she stepped onto the 2012 Oscar red carpet in a black Atelier Versace dress with a side slit, and Salvatore Ferragamo shoes to match.

Octavia Spencer, 2012

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Octavia Spencer opted for a hand-beaded, ivory silk tulle Tadashi Shoji gown at the 2012 Oscars, and guess what? It only took 1,000 hours of work, a team of ten and six fittings to get the customized gown from the designer’s showroom to the red carpet.

Jennifer Lawrence, 2013

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JLaw stole the show with a breathtaking Dior Haute Couture at the 2013 Academy Awards.

Lupita Nyong’o, 2014

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Lupita wowed in a Cinderella-esque light blue Prada gown at the 2014 Academy Awards, where she took home the gong for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 12 Years A Slave.

Naomi Harris , 2017

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Naomi wore a stunning body-skimming white Calvin Klein dress to the 2017 Oscars, where she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Moonlight – the film that was (eventually) crowned Best Picture.

Emma Stone, 2017

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Naomi Harris wasn’t the only standout on the 2017 Oscar red carpet; Emma Stone left a memorable impression in a stunning gold, Swarovski crystal-embroidered Givenchy Haute Couture gown as she won Best Actress for her role in La La Land.

Emily Blunt, 2018

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Emily Blunt looked fresh off the catwalk in a Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown paired with Chopard jewellery and a Judith Leiber bag at the 2018 ceremony.